Children's craft - cardboard shields

Who doesn't love a castle?

1, our little ones getting the tissue stuck on

For some reason castles seem to really fire the imagination of young children, and I decided that we should get creative, and add something special to our dressing-up box, with the hope that we might visit a castle on a sunny day to allow for a bit of role-play.  We made our own shields.  Here's how to do it:

2 - Bug sticking her kitchen roll over her design very carefully

Materials

• cardboard box card (for the shield)
• newspaper and sticky tape
• kitchen roll, PVA glue, brushes
• paint and brushes
• cereal box card (for the arm loops)

1. Cut out a simple shield shape from cardboard box card.  It doesn't have to be perfect.
2. Roll up a sheet of newspaper at a time and stick it around the edge of the shield to create a raised border.  This isn't strictly necessary, but it does make a nice finish.  Depending on the age, ability and attention span of the children, you can do this bit for them.  I was working with four under the age of five - so I did!
3. Next roll up and tape other pieces of newspaper to create a raised design.  Bug wanted to make a daisy, so I made the petal shapes for her and helped her stick them on.  Cousin Bea wanted to make a zig-zag so again I made the shape and helped her stick it on.  C wanted a foxglove design, so I rolled and taped the flowers and stem but he wanted to stick his on himself.  Big Cousin E decided he didn't want any design in relief, he just wanted to paint his design on.
4. This is a very important step, and must not be left out.  Photos 1, 2 and 3 all show the work in progress.  Tear or cut plenty of kitchen roll paper into squares about 5cm square.  Mix up 50:50 PVA glue and water.  Brush this mixture over the whole shield including the edging, the design and all sticky tape.  Stick the kitchen tissue all over the shield and brush more glue mixture over the top, brushing right into all the nooks and crannies until the whole shield is covered with glued tissue paper.
5. Leave to dry thoroughly.  This will take about 18 hours, maybe more.  
6. When the shield is dry, paint your design.  Photos 4 and 5 show a couple of ours.
7. Leave to dry.
8. Cut out your cereal boxes and stick in loops to the back of the shield so that the child's arm can go through.  If you want it to look really good, you can repeat the glue and tissue paper exercise and paint the back too. 

3 - C covering his shield with PVA/water mix

4 - Bug's finished shield

5 - Big Cousin E with his crusader shield (to match the armour he already has at home)

What have you been making lately?